Days into spring, snowstorm bears down on U.S. Midwest

March 22, 2013|Reuters

March 22 (Reuters) - A major storm system is expected todump heavy snow across parts of the Midwest on the first weekendof spring, while thunderstorms, large hail and even twisterscould lash parts of the deep South, forecasters warned onFriday.

The storm system is seen rolling out of the Rockies by earlyon Saturday, and dropping snow over eastern Colorado and thecentral and southern Plains later in the day, according to theNational Weather Service and AccuWeather.com.

"Like many storms during the second half of the winter, thisfirst major storm of the spring could threaten lives andproperty, bring significant travel disruptions and foil outdoorplans," AccuWeather.com senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowskicautioned.

The band of heavy snow is expected to track eastward overthe weekend, most likely affecting some of the Ohio Valleystates on Sunday, before heading out over the central andsouthern Appalachians into Monday.